Quick, easy and DELICIOUS beans and rice lunch for one!

 This is a very quick and very nutritious clean-eating vegan recipe. So quick and so delicious, you will want more! The picture doesn't do it justice.

 

Ingredients
1 cup Stahlbush Island Farms Frozen Brown Rice and Black Bean
2/3 Chopped Onions Frozen
3 tri-color baby bell peppers, chopped
2 Tomatoes on the Vine, diced
1 tsp - Efa Gold - Raw Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Chipotle Chile Powder
1/4 tsp Ancho Chili Powder
2 packsTrue Lime Powder

Directions

1. melt oil in skillet
2. add onions, peppers and tomatoes
3. allow to cook down till tomatoes release their juices, add beans & rice and spices except Tru Lime
4. when liquid is almost absorbed, add Tru Lime and some fresh chopped cilantro if desired

Nutrition data: 
Calories: 377
Carbs: 69g (Don't freak about the carbs, this is clean eating, unprocessed carbs)
Fat: 8g
Protein: 13g
Fiber: 13g

Grasseaters' Southwest Veggie Soup

I wanted a yummy, hearty soup for this cold day, something cabbagy and beany, and with a little flavor kick. So I came up with this - pretty tasty!


Ingredients:
1/4 head Cabbage - chopped
1 large Onions - chopped
2 cups Celery - greens included, chopped
3 lg Carrot - cut into rounds
1 cup Red Bell Pepper - chopped
2 cups Chick Peas (Cooked)
1 28 oz Hunt's - Whole Peeled Plum Tomatoes - No Salt Added
2 cups Water
2 pkt Swanson - Flavor Boost - Vegetable
2 tsp Ground Cumin

Directions:
place cabbage and onions in pot, add enough water to cover the veggies - about 2 cups, put on simmer while you cut the other veggies

cut and add celery (use the greens, too - lots of nutrition and flavor) and carrots

add chopped red pepper and Flavor Booster packets

when the veggies are almost tender, add the canned tomatoes - add the liquid first, then crush the tomatoes in your hand and drop them in the pot, including whatever liquid they contain

add the cumin, and sea salt and ground black pepper to taste - you could also add crushed red pepper, or serve it at the table as a condiment

Nutrition:
Calories:  215
Carbs:  35
Fat:  4
Protein:   8
Fiber: 10
Potassium:  819

Carb Light Living's Peanut Butter Flax Seed Cookies

Simple to make, delicious, nutrition packed! Recipe found on Carb Light Living.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups splenda
• 2 heaping tbsp. ground flaxseed

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix peanut butter, egg and splenda together
• Stir in ground flaxseed
• Shape dough into 2 inch balls - about a heaping teaspoon, then roll
• Flatten cookie by using a fork in a crisscross pattern
• Bake for 8-10 minutes

Nutrition Info:

Servings Per Recipe: 24

Amount Per Serving – 1 cookie

Calories: 75 Carb: 5 g

Total Fat: 7 g

Cholesterol: 13.2 mg

Sodium: 91.1 mg

Total Carbs: 5 g

Dietary Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 4 g Potassium: 11 g

Carb Light Living™ Carbs: 5 g

Weight Watchers Points: 3

Grasseater's Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients
15oz Part Skim Ricotta Cheese, 1 container
1# Frozen Chopped Spinach- thawed and water squeezed out
2T Crushed Garlic
2 Eggplant - Raw, unpeeled - sliced longways into 1/8" slices
1c  Parmesan Shredded Cheese- divided
2 c Shredded Cheese - Mozzarella 2% Milk Part Skim
8oz Baby Bella Mushrooms- sliced
3c Hunt's - Original Style Traditional Spaghetti Sauce

Directions
Thaw & squeeze water out of spinach

Combine with ricotta, garlic, 1/4c of the Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste - let sit for flavors to meld

Wash & slice the eggplant into 1/8" slices, layer the slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt between layers to avoid bitterness. Weight with an inverted plate, and I use a full tea kettle on top to press the slices well. Let drain about an hour. Pat slices dry.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a pan with cooking spray & saute eggplant slices till fork tender

In the bottom of a 13 x 9 in baking pan, spread a little of the sauce, layer, eggplant, ricotta mixture, mushrooms, sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan, a layer of mozzarella. End with sauce, and a slight sprinkle of mozzarella.

Cover the pan and bake about 60 minutes. Let site 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

Calories:  274
Carbs:  33
Fat:  13
Protein:  19
Fiber:  7
Potassium:  315

Kenyan kale and tomatoes

Delicious, savory and brothy, you can add a bit more water,and do season with salt & pepper. Serves 6 as a side dish and 3 as a meal.
adapted from Whole Foods Markets Recipes

Kenyan kale and tomatoes

6 cups - raw chopped Kale
4 med Tomatoes chopped
2 Onions chopped
1 lg Jalepeno Pepper chopped
8 pkg True Lemon - Crystallized Lemon
1 cup Water

Chop all veggies and put in pot, add water and put on lid, cook till kale is tender & it's nice and soupy.

As a meal (1/2 of recipe):
Calories:  193
Fat:   2
Carbs:   41
Protein:   10
Fiber:  9
Potassium:   1640

Italian Seitan 'Sausage', Peppers, and Potatoes

This recipe has some ROCKING protein and potassium numbers, and is really tasty and filling! Enjoy

Ingredients:
1 - Seitan cutlet, sliced (see previous recipe)
2 c - mixed bell peppers, chopped (red, green, yellow & red)
1 - lg onion chopped
12 - grape tomatoes
1 - chopped baked potato
1 c - frozen spinach

Directions:
Spray pan with cooking spray, sautee onions & peppers till softened

Add spinach, sliced seitan and crushed red pepper to taste

Add chopped potato and tomatoes and cook till tomatoes pop

Calories- 623

Carbs- 73

Fat- 7

Protein- 51

Fiber- 14

Potassium- 1982

Really Great Seitan

http://www.theppk.com/2009/11/homemade-seitan/ Really great flavorful seitan recipe. I did change it from adding veggie broth to the dough to just water, it's too salty otherwise. Only takes 10 minutes to make, then 5 minutes to cook. The original makes 3 pieces, I tripled it here so you can freeze it. This is one of the very best seitan recipes I've ever tried, and the texture is good, too, with the advice given on cooking.

Ingredients:
Patties:
3 c - Vital Wheat Gluten
9 T - Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1.5 c - Water
1/4 c - Bragg - Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
6 T - Lemon juice
3 T - Oil - Olive
6 cloves crushed or grated Garlic

Simmering Broth: (not included in calories because it's not enough impact on recipe)
For the simmering broth:
4 cups vegetable broth (after experimenting, I've found that Knorr's veggie stock makes this a knockout!)
4 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Fill a stock pot with the water, broth and soy sauce, cover and bring to a boil.

In the mean time, in a large bowl mix together gluten and yeast.  In a smaller bowl mix together broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Pour the wet into the dry and combine with a wooden spoon until most of the moisture has absorbed and partially clumped up with the dry ingredients. Use your hands and knead for about 3 minutes, until it’s an elastic dough. Roll out into a log, and cut equal portions with a serrated knife. Flatten each piece with your palm on the counter, this makes a beautifully shaped patty! Let rest until the broth has come to a full boil.

Once boiling, lower the heat to a rolling simmer. Add the gluten pieces and partially cover pot so that steam can escape. Let simmer for 45 minutes, turning occasionally. Turn the heat off and take the lid off, let sit for 15 minutes. If you make a HUGE batch and freeze, like I do, boil for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Remove from broth and place in a strainer until it is cool enough to handle.

This is also awesome if you put it in your food processor and grind to make your own 'crumbles', more flavorful and a fraction of the price. It comes out to about $1.15/#!

Calories	-	252										Carbs	- 14     Fat	- 6        Protein	- 39     Fiber	- 3       Potassium - 234

Red Curry Vegetables and Quinoa

INGREDIENTS:
1 T - Extra virgin olive oil
1 lg Onions chopped
1 c - Green Peppers, chopped
1 T - Garlic Paste
1 t - Ginger Paste
2 T - Maesri - Red Curry Paste
1 t - Ground Cumin
1 c - Spinach - Frozen
2 c - Broccoli - Raw or frozen
1/4 c -  Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 c - Quinoa - Cooked
28 oz can diced tomatoes with basil
1 c  Lite Coconut Milk

DIRECTIONS:
saute onions, peppers, garlic paste, ginger paste, chili paste & cumin until veggies are tender

add broccoli and spinach and cook till tender

Add quinoa, tomatoes and coconut milk, simmer to blend, 15 - 20 minutes

add cilantro before serving.

Quinoa Veggie Soup

INGREDIENTS:
3 c - Water
1.5 - Vegan/Vegetarian bouillon cubes
1/3 c - Nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 c - chopped red pepper (pre-chopped & frozen)
1/2 c - chopped yellow pepper (pre-chopped & frozen)
1 c - Spinach - Frozen, chopped or leaf, unprepared,
1 c - Quinoa (cook in advance & freeze in 1 c portions)
1 t - ground cumin
1 t - crushed red pepper

DIRECTIONS:
spray pan with olive oil cooking spray, sautee peppers till flavorful

add water and remaining ingredients, simmer 30  minutes

Italian Quinoa and Peppers

Italian Quinoa and Peppers
I was craving Sausage & peppers and threw this together - pretty yummy. If you make your quinoa ahead & freeze in 1 cup portions (I chop & freeze my peppers, too), this is quick work and you add the quinoa with everything else. If not frozen, add at the end & toss well.

Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 Tbsp (14) g
Peppers - Sweet, green, raw, 0.5 cup, chopped
Peppers - Sweet, red, raw, 0.5 cup, chopped
Onions - Raw, 1 medium (2-1/2" dia) chopped
Organic Grape Tomatoes, 1 Cup
Quinoa - Quinoa Cooked, 1 cup cooked
Spinach - Frozen, chopped or leaf, unprepared, 1 cup
Oregano, dried, 1 tsp, leaves
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, 1 tsp

Directions:
Sautee veggies till tender & tomatoes pop 

Nutrition information: 
Servings 2:
Calories: 242;   Carbs 35.5;   Fat: 10;   Protein: 9;   Fiber: 8;     Potassium: 697.5

Welcome!

Well, I've been toying with this for a long time...or at least the idea of this. I guess I thought I had nothing to say, but maybe I do.

I am trying, and finally succeeding in changing my body, by being a "grass eater" - read that vegetarian. I'd like to be vegan, and I do try, but cheese is far too seductive. So I do my best.

I imagine what I'll do here is perhaps product reviews, recipe reviews, restaurant reviews, and posting my own original "on-the-fly" or "healthied up" recipes. I never thought much of them, but they seem to be quite popular.

I'll probably also post some stuff about being a mom of two active boys, both of whom have Sensory Processing Disorder (finally legitimized by being included in the new DSM - yay!). And maybe some stuff from school, I'm studying for my BA in Psychology - Child and Early Development. And maybe some stuff on working out and exercise.

So basically, it will be exactly what the title says, a snapshot of a day in the life of a grass eater.